Lit-Up My Mind

Sharing my love of contemporary romance to promote healing and escapism through reviews of new and upcoming titles, while bringing awareness to Traumatic Brain Injury.

I have a love for Contemporary Romances that over time have helped me heal both in mind and body.

My name’s Laura, and here’s a little snippet about how my love of Contemporary Romance novels began, and how it helped me heal my body and my mind. After a devastating traumatic brain injury diagnosis in 2011, I was left with various symptoms including cognitive slowing, memory issues, and confusion, among others, but I can’t think of them right now. My neurologist suggested that I start reading whenever I found the time to do so to aide in my recovery.

At that time I was not the most avid reader. I loved books and I bought them often, but then they would sit on a shelf and collect dust. Part of this was due to my struggles with dyslexia and other language arts deficits.

Once some time had passed after my accident, I started looking into getting an E-reader, because I knew it would help me with little things like changing the font size according to my visual issues or headache level that day. I also loved the fact that I could look up a word I didn't know without leaving the page. Before I would get distracted and then frustrated because I had to stop reading and go to a dictionary to do this. So, I got myself a Kindle. Once that sucker was in my hot little hands, my literary life suddenly started improving!

I had always struggled with reading in school, but once I was able to change the background color on my Kindle, I was soon able to read almost non-stop, without my dyslexia being an issue. Because as it turns out, I also noticed that my vocabulary was getting stronger and reading comprehension which I had struggled with for my entire life, was actually getting better too! For the first time in my life I was reading and truly enjoying it! Before long, I was able to finish several books a month. I started to feel smarter and my self-esteem was rising along with my completed book count.

The stories I’ve enjoyed the most have been Contemporary Romance novels. The characters in these stories have kept me company over these past seven years of healing and have remained my constant companions. Reading has not only become a way to distract myself from physical pain, but it’s also became a way for me to heal my mind and my soul. These books have provided me with a daily escape from the house I am unable to leave and the characters give me a feeling of friendship when I otherwise feel isolated.

It's amazing what the written word can do to inspire us, to change our outlook on life, to challenge our personal views on topics, to convey emotions to a loved one, and so much more. I will be forever grateful to the authors that I have fallen for over the past several years. They’ve helped me reclaim my brain and better myself on a daily basis.

Whether you are new to Contemporary Romance or a long-standing fan, I hope you’ll enjoy some of my thoughts about many of the hottest authors out there. Please feel free to message me with any comments or questions that you might have. Just remember to keep it kind!

As Always, Happy Reading,Laura

"Beaming Brains"Book Reviewing Structure

Just like most other rating systems for book reviews, Beaming Brains, is based on the traditional 1 to 5 rating scale with a bit of a twist for some extra fun.

A "5/5 Beaming Brains" rating indicates the highest honor for a book reviewed by me.

This rating indicates a genuine love for the book and that I feel it to be a must read. It indicates that I loved both the characters and the story as a whole, and my interest was held at all times.

Putting it mildly, a5/5 Beaming Brains rating simply indicates that I felt it to be "Completely Mind Blowing!"

With that, I hope you enjoy my reviews, and as always, Happy Reading! - Laura

Connect with Me!

I love to hear from other readers. Those who are avid romance readers or new to the genre. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas, so please reach out! Your feedback is welcomed as well.